Description

As one of the world's finest and most famous climbing areas, Eldorado Canyon needs little introduction. It consists of steep, beautiful conglomerate sandstone walls of up to 700 feet high, in brilliant shades of gold and red. The rock quality is reminiscent of granite rather than the soft sandstone found throughout much of Utah and Arizona.

The largest cliff, Redgarden Wall , is a few thousand feet wide; it boasts several spectacular summits and an incredible collection of classic climbs. Many of the classic routes were put up in the 1960s by Layton Kor, along with climbers such as Pat Ament and Larry Dalke. The 1970s were primarily a time of first free ascents, spearheaded by climbers such as Steve Wunsch, Roger Briggs, Jim Erickson, and Duncan Ferguson. New activity tailed off a bit in the 1980s, though some very good routes were established.

Climbing in Eldorado Canyon can be odd and it requires some getting used to. It is primarily a traditional area, yet there is relatively little crack climbing. Friends of mine who are used to Lumpy Ridge think everything in Eldo is a sandbag, but once I got used to Eldo I started to feel more secure there than at Lumpy Ridge. Individual pitches will often require delicate face climbing and some kind of funky, inobvious traverse. Highly technical moves separated by decent rests are quite common. Old fixed gear is an Eldo staple, and can either add or subtract spice from your route depending on its quality and the availability of other pro. It enables routes such as the The Yellow Spur and the West Buttress of the Bastille (both 5.9) to offer pro-at-your-waist cruxes. On the other hand, you just know that those pins at the cruxes of climbs like Tagger (5.10) and the The Naked Edge (5.11) are not going to hold too many more 10 foot falls. One should really back up most pins whenever possible. Ultimately, skill in placing pro is very important; cracks tend to be discontinuous and incipient, and nearly all the "sport" routes require some gear as well.

The aforementioned Redgarden Wall holds the longest routes, but also offers great one-pitch climbs, [particularly] a little ways up the trail at a long slanting roof. The Bastille is a 350 foot high vertical cliff which rises right out of the road and offers very steep climbing. The The Wind Tower is the place to go for great beginner climbs as well as scary 5.10 routes, and the The West Ridge/Rincon offers the best concentration of one pitch routes of all grades -- usually very aesthetic crack and corner climbs. Obscure outlying areas such as Cadillac Crag, Shirt Tail Peak, and the Peanuts Walls have excellent climbing, but also involve longer approaches.

Eldo can be a very confusing place and it is helpful to at least look at a guidebook, such as Steve Levin's newest guidebook, Eldorado Canyon, A Climber's Guidebook, or Richard Rossiter's out of print, comprehensive Rock Climbing Eldorado Canyon. Fred Knapp's Classic Boulder Climbs is about a third the cost, and still has most of the best routes as well as other great routes around Boulder.

Ideally, a traditional climber's road trip to Boulder should include a day at Eldo followed by a day at Lumpy Ridge (45 minutes from Boulder)-- both offer fantastic climbing, but it is hard to imagine two more different styles. Of course, if experience permits, the alpine rock climbs in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park are not to be missed, either. One can climb in Eldo at any time of year, though summer is piping hot and slick while winter is inconsistent.

Getting There

From Denver, head N on I-25 to US 36, go to the CO Hwy 170 exit. Follow it as it curves around a new shopping complex, and go past CO Hwy 93 to the town of Eldorado Springs and to the state park.

From Boulder, take CO Hwy 93 (Broadway) South until you get to the first stop light after leaving Boulder. This is Eldorado Springs Dr. Take this West until you hit the town. The park entrance is at the end of the dirt road into town. Pay entry fee per vehicle to park or walk-in for less. You WILL be ticketed if you park in undesignated spots outside of the park.... The Eldorado Springs bottling company is right off the road to the park. You used to be able to get a free fill-up on your water bottle, but now it's a pay deal. What a rip, man.

Bouldering

Eldo is home to an impressive collection of excellent & historical boulder problems. These can be found on the new Eldorado Canyon Bouldering page. Must do classics include the John Sherman testpiece Germ Free Adolescence or the nearly featureless Never Say Never. Many of Eldo's best boulders are undocumented, so an adventurous spirit can be helpful.

Fees

Annual State Park passes cost $70 for 1st vehicle, $35 for additional vehicles. Daily fees are now $8 per vehicle. Walk-in fees are $3/person. For up to date info, click here.

Guidebooks

Steve Levin's new, Eldorado Canyon guidebook is excellent and covers the canyon exquisitely. Recommended! If you want it, it's in local shops or if you can't find it, it's available here.

Action Committe for Eldorado

The Action Committee for Eldorado (ACE) is a 501c3 non profit climber organization that is staffed by dedicated volunteers who are committed to conserving Eldorado Canyon State Park. The ACE Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from the Access Fund, the American Alpine Club, the American Mountain Guides Association, and the Colorado Mountain Club, as well as unaffiliated members drawn from the climbing community. ACE has raised over $200,000 for the Park, and has organized and promoted thousands of hours of volunteer time creating and maintaining trails, planting trees, and assisting the Park in numerous other ways. Proceeds donated to ACE are used for the Eldorado Canyon Trails Project, fixed hardware, and supporting climbers in Eldorado Canyon.

To donate or learn more information about ACE please visit: aceeldo.org

Fixed Hardware Replacement Program

ACE, BCC (Boulder Climbing Community), and Eldorado State Park are working together to replace old fixed hardware in Eldorado Canyon. A 'like for like' hardware replacement policy already exists, so what we need now is a way to track progress and get some much needed work done.

ACE has established a working database of hardware which is in need of replacement. That working list is available here.

Everyone is invited to contribute to this list so we all can be made aware of the fixed hardware progress and priorities. Just register on the ACE website and contribute to the list. Its fast and easy. As a reminder, a permit for 'like for like' replacement must be secured from the Park Headquarters prior to completing any work.

ACE will gladly supply the drill, bits, prybars and any necessary hardware to anyone wishing to do like-for-like replacements in ECSP. Contact aceeldo@googlegroups.com

If this route were anywhere else in the Canyon (other than the Rotwand) it would be incredibly popular. Unfortunately it is 2/3 of the way up Hawk Eagle Ridge, an area which has fallen desperately out of vogue despite being home to some forgotten Eldo classics, such as DOA (5.11); Cinch Crack (5.12); Jupiter (5.9); Tombstone (5.11-); and Die Heeda Rule (5.11). If one were to brave the steep hike up the eroded and vegetated trail,...[more]Browse More Classics in CO

This place is the best for novices like myself in the front range. None of the routes are so inaccessible or epic as to scare away someone who's never been there before. And the east crack of the Whale's Tail should be required for every new leader.

It is $50 for a Colorado State Park Season Pass. Good for the calendar year at ANY Colorado State Park. [$6] for a day fee per car. I believe the new visitor center, and other improvements were paid for out the State Lottery Funds allocated to Parks i.e.

Screw that $50 bucks and to hell with pay-to-play. Why aren't we challenging the state of our park??? Think about it this way--how would you feel if "they" started charging $50 bucks for a season pass to Lumpy and built a road up to Sundance with a parking lot and porta-john at The Book?? Fuck that road through our canyon!! don't you just love it when you top out on the yellow spur and look down and see some dip-shit below in a candy-red PT Cruiser.

Take that 50 bucks and use it to destroy that bathroom and that road--restore the area and leave a small maintained trail, and build the parking lot OUTSIDE the canyon!!

Jay, keep in mind that in the late 70s what is now Eldorado Canyon State Park almost became a gravel quarry, but the State stepped in and bought the property off the Fowler family (for something like $500K). Yes, some of the "improvements" are overblown, but the alternative would have been grim. $50 is a steal for use of this park for an entire year.

Concern: Last week I went up to the Green Spur area to knock it off before the rain. On my hike up, I heard "falling" sounds. Lots of boulders knocking together. The occasional sickening "thump." After hiking up aways I encountered a few Europeans (by the sound of them), mostly teenagers. We chatted for a few moments and I asked them if everyone was okay in their party. Sure were, so I moved on, only to see them resume their little game of tossing boulders down the talus slope!!! I don't think I need to address how dangerous this is on this website. Taking out a whole family of hikers is a serious possibility. Instead, I would like to bring this to the community's attention. Keep your heads up, eyes and ears open, and bring a pistol for pest control when you climb... If anyone notices such activity in the future, bite the bullet and go alert the rangers of this activity. Missing two hours of climbing is a small price to pay for the safety of others in the canyon IMHO.

AC, by the time I figured out what was going on, I was just short of being on belay and they were across the talus/scree just west of the Yellow Spur start. My partner and I yelled as loudly and clearly as we could essentially to knock it off. Threw in some colorful language so they got the point. Something about killing someone. Honestly, I was so mad, I couldn't really remember. They immediately quit, so there wasn't a whole lot of point going to confront them then. Had I seen it happen on the approach I would have turned around. I don't think I made the right decision of simply yelling (practice what I preach, I know), but avoidance of confrontation is my MO. Hopefully others will learn from my bad judgement.

Check this web site out for a list of accidents in Eldo. These are taken verbatum from Accidents in North American Mtneering and other sources. Also has accidents in Boulder Canyon and other areas if you hunt around the site:

So climbing up on Wind Ridge I see this huge ass cable and I'm thinkin "what the hell is that for" so I look it up. some old dude used to tight rope between there and the Bastille. I'm not aware if the cables are still there on the Bastille but if they are why not highline it?

I saw someone grate across the original Ivy Baldwin cable in the early '70s. They had to wrap a chain around it due to the large diameter. You guys who are asking about setting up a high line: the Parkies will never let it happen. That said, what kind of rope or cable would you use and how would you set it up?

What exactly is the impetus for the new speed bumps just after the ranger station? I saw a number of two-wheel drive cars bottom out on those monsters; is speeding really that big a problem in the canyon?

A seasonal wildlife closure on Redgarden Wall from the Naked Edge (pitch 3 – top) through Sidetrack has been lifted two weeks early due to the four chicks fledging. The routes that are now open include: The Naked Edge (last 3 pitches), The Diving Board, Centaur, Redguard (last 3 pitches), Red Ant, Semi-Wild, Anthill Direct (last 3 pitches), and The Sidetrack.

Eldorado Canyon enforces climbing closures in order to protect nesting and roosting sites of the canyon’s prairie falcons. Eldorado Canyon State Park staff and raptor monitor volunteers would like to thank the rock climbing community for adhering to the closure, ensuring another successful breeding year for these amazing creatures.

You Can Help Us Protect Eldo’s Falcons

The walls of Eldorado Canyon provide critical breeding habitat for birds of prey, such as our nesting pair of prairie falcons. Human disturbances (such as climbing) near the nest can cause abandonment and nest failure. As human actions and breeding and prey habitat loss continue to impact prairie falcon populations, it is even more essential that visitors to their homes respect these temporary restrictions. If you would like to view the nest with a ranger or a volunteer raptor monitor, please contact the park at (303) 494-3943. Thank you for helping protect Eldorado Canyon’s wildlife!

I am chillin in Laramie, WY- and my partner and I are thinking about checking out the EC...? We like trad- and love crack...any suggestions? Is this a good weekend to go? Is there camping, should I buy a guide book? Any info would be super helpful! Thanks

2010 will be the 75th anniversary of the first rock climb in the Gunks: The Old Route at Millbrook, FA by Fritz Weissner, 1935. This got me thinking: what was the first rock climb in Eldorado? As near as I can tell from the guides, the Bastille Crack may have that designation. Jim Erickson placed the first ascent in the early 1950s by US Army climbers. After that there are several routes done in 1956, the most challenging being the Redgarden Route. Does anyone have any information on any climbing routes in Eldorado prior to this?

Clearly, with the ascents on the Maiden and steep/overhanging faces of the Third Flatiron, high angle rock climbing in the Boulder area was alive and well in the late '40s and early '50s. Yes, we have the Bastille and Redguard from the mid-'50s, but if there was high quality climbing going on in the Flatirons in the late '40s did anything get done in Eldorado which has been lost over time?

I'm wondering what the route is you always pass by on your way to the Redgarden wall, before the roof routes. It's the steeply overhanging cave on your right with maybe 6 fixed draws and an anchor about 40 ft off the deck. I don't even know where to look for it on MP....

Found rope on Redgarden Wall around Green Spur, left of Yellow Spur. Comment on this website if it is yours and I can easily return to it. Give description and better description of how you left it. I assume it got snagged when you were pulling it from rappeling.

A sample pdf of the upcoming Eldorado Canyon: A Climbing Guide by Steve Levin is available for download at sharpendbooks.com. The 448 page book is due in late September and will retail for $39.95. Enjoy.

448 pages, yowzers. There goes the light and fast theory! Hopefully it will still fit in the purses, er uh packs, that some of my friends carry.... As much as I hate climbing at Eldo, I am actually looking forward to getting this book. Thanks for all of the hard work on this, Steve and Co.

Hi. I left a new, bright yellow, 200ft NE Static rope on top of the Bastille (deep down in a recess where the routes Outer Space, Hairstyles and Attitudes, etc. top-out). Please return this rope to me. I left it up there over the last 2 weeks as I've been hoping to get back to re-bolt a route up there. While I appreciate it being out of some of this rain and didn't mean for it to be up there for so long, the rangers didn't take it and I need it back NOW. Please return this to the ranger station or park entrance OR email me: Madaleines@gmail.com.

Yes, 448 pages does change the light and fast theory if you haul the book. We're offering a free eBook if you pre-purchase the print guide. You can print out just the pages you need for the multi-pitch outings, plus you'll have the info right away. Oh, and 10% of all pre-orders goes to ACE.

We want to congratulate Steve Levin, Fred Knapp, and Sharp End Books on what we believe may be the best rock climbing guidebook ever written--Eldorado Canyon: A Climbing Guide. The book is amazingly thorough, not only (!) offering you over 1500 route descriptions, most of which are accompanied by high-definition color photo route overlays, but also offering a wealth of information on the history of climbing in the canyon, including details on the first ascents of many of the routes in the book. The book is simply phenomenal.

While climbing Ruper today I left my pack and jacket at the bottom of the lower ramp. When I returned, they were nowhere to be found. If anyone finds them, I would love to get them back. It would definitely be worth some beers or something. The pack is a black and blue Jansport with a lot of marmot chew, a broken buckle, and a busted zipper on top. The Jacket is a sky blue soft shell. My email is aweaver@mymail.mines.edu. Thanks!

The seasonal bird closure on Redgarden Wall, from The Naked Edge (pitch 3 - top) through Sidetrack, has been lifted because there has been no nesting activity in the area. All of Regarden Wall is now open to climbing.

Somewhat new to the Eldo scene, yet climbed here a few times and was THOROUGHLY impressed with the professionalism and dedication that Eldo advents had exhibited. Whether it be friendliness of the locals, despite the fact that we were jumping on their classics on our first trip, or the cherry descents that can be made in the tightest of climbing shoes with ease. All I can say I guess is thank you to those who cherish and maintain this amazing canyon for all.

I do, however, have another question. I am at the Air Force Academy in CSprings and am able to go out this next weekend...which means I obviously choose Eldo. But we are short on funds (write your congressmen if you think we should get paid more than $100 a month!!) and are probably going to have to camp.

So, the question is whether we can suck it up in sleeping bags, or if we should try to crash a sorority at CU for the weekend.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated. And I apologize for the rant.

LOST: On Thursday, July 14th, I lost an Invicta watch. It has a blue face and has a lot of sentimental meaning. It would mean so much to me if someone found it and could return it. It was most likely left at the Bastille Crack or over by Calypso possibly somewhere in between. Please contact me if you have it: sgreenfield82@yahoo.com

A young lady, Selma Hafezbegovic, was involved in a strange climbing accident on June 15th, 2010. She was standing on the ledge just to the right of the large boulder at the base of Calypso when either part of the ledge gave way or a block just above the ledge came down. What she wants is a picture showing that area taken before the accident date to show what was there to help figure out what happened! Does anyone have a shot they could post or email to her?

If anyone is planning a trip to Eldorado Canyon and is traveling from far and doesn't want to pay steep hotel rates, I live in the canyon and have room in my yard for a group or maybe two to camp. Please feel free to email me at andrew.king2012@yahoo.com as I check that more often, or just message me here on MP for more details.

I'm looking for climbing partner(s) for December 2-6 in Eldorado Canyon. Any takers? I'm an experienced trad climber, love cracks, but a little out of shape. Would enjoy climbing some classic moderates and maybe warm up to a harder route or two.

UPGRADE YOUR ELDO BOOK: Big discount for previous owners of Steve Levin's guide. The new Eldorado Canyon guidebook arrives on Tues or Weds. It's not a major new edition -- more of an update with about 30 new routes and corrections. If you're like me, though, you love new books. Sharp End is offering an upgrade program -- cut out the bottom right corner of page 447 of your guide (the green square that contains our URL and address) and send it to the address listed with a check for $25 and we'll send you the new edition.